Detergent compositions and cleaning agents for hard surfaces, as well as dishwasher detergents, are available to the consumer in numerous forms. In addition to the traditional solid agents, free-flowing and in particular liquid to gel-type detergents or cleaning agents have become increasingly important in recent times. To improve the cleaning performance of free-flowing detergent or cleaning agents, combination products have been proposed in the prior art which include a packaging means and two free-flowing detergents or cleaning agents that are situated in this packaging means and separate from one another. International Patent Application WO 2007/025665 discloses a packaging means and two free-flowing detergents or cleaning agents A and B that are situated in this packaging means and separate from one another, wherein composition A contains enzymes, and composition B contains no enzymes, or at least few enzymes. The spatial separation of these two compositions makes it possible for additional ingredients and characteristics of detergent or cleaning agents which could impair the stability of the enzymes to be kept separated from these enzymes, or also for other ingredients which could adversely affect one another to be kept separated, thus increasing the stability of the free-flowing agents during storage. For this reason, composition A, which contains enzymes, and composition B, which does not contain enzymes or contains enzymes only in small quantities, generally have different pH values. High pH values of, for example, pH 10, 11, or greater destabilize or inactivate enzymes, but are advantageous for removing stubborn soils.
Although in the prior art the problem of destabilization of enzymes during storage of free-flowing detergent or cleaning compositions has been solved by the above-mentioned combination products, there is the continuing problem of destabilization of enzymes during dosing of these agents. Regardless of whether dosing takes place via a dispensing drawer of an automatic washing machine, or a dispensing compartment of an automatic dishwasher, or a dosing ball or some other dosing device, the two phases intermix in the dosing device, or at the latest, in the first phase of the washing or cleaning operation, so that an average pH results which is lower than the pH of agent B but higher than that of agent A, and therefore the enzymes are exposed to a higher pH than originally intended.
To solve this problem, combination products are proposed which contain a packaging means and two free-flowing detergent or cleaning compositions A and B that are situated in this packaging means and separate from one another, wherein composition A contains 10 to 75% by weight builder(s), 0.1 to 10% by weight enzyme preparation, and 24.9 to 89.9% by weight water, and composition B contains less than 0.1% by weight enzyme preparation, 0.5 to 90% by weight water, and at least one further ingredient of detergent or cleaning agents, wherein the two compositions A and B each have a viscosity of greater than 1500 mPas. It is immaterial whether composition A and composition B have the same viscosity or different viscosities. No special requirements are imposed on the upper limit of the viscosity. However, both compositions should remain free-flowing.
Furthermore, other desirable features and characteristics of the present invention will become apparent from the subsequent detailed description of the invention and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and this background of the invention.